One thing that has stuck out in mind as I look out over the congregation on Sunday is the question “Why am I here?” What I mean to say is, “What is my purpose for being here?” Why do people come to church on Sunday morning? I look out over the church and see ministry that needs to be done, young families that need discipleship, people missing that need to hear that Jesus loves them, and hurting people that need comfort. I think sometimes we are here for the wrong reasons.
The Bible tells us that we have a great purpose in God. The people he chose to reveal this purpose to was the Israelites. He told them, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) We are called to love the Lord. Love is the mark of the Christian life. When we love God, we worship him. When we love God, we seek to know him. When we love God, we want to please him. When we love God, we are obedient to him. God also told Israel, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18) The apostle John reminds us “We love because he first loved us”. (I John 4:19) Jesus also stated that these two things God told Israel were the “Great Commandments”. When Jesus came, his purposes were “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) and “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Believers are to share in that purpose. Jesus commissioned his disciples, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20).
This is a quick exposition of the Scriptures on the purposes of believers, who are part of the Body of Christ. As a believer in Jesus Christ, and as a member of the church, I ask again, “Why are you here?” Are you in the church strictly for social purposes? Are you here out of obligation? Are you here because you want to secure your place in heaven? The purposes laid in Scripture tell us that Christians were meant for more. We have a great destiny in God, and we must work to lead others into that great destiny. Our mission statement at Welkers’ Crossroads helps us to focus on our purpose – Love God. Love Others. Serve the World. This is a simple summary of our full mission statement, which is, “Welker’s Crossroads EMC exists to love God through vibrant worship, to love others through Christian fellowship and making disciples who grow in their faith, and to serve the world through compassionate ministry.” These express the purposes laid out for Christians in the Scriptures. We need members who seek to find and fulfill these purposes in their lives.
Pastor John